A Dating Site for Apple Fans Only

Do iPods make your heart patter? Do MacBooks make you swoon? Has a heated Flash vs. HMTL5 debate ever resulted in a significant other sleeping on the couch?

Cupidtino.com

A mock-up profile on Cupidtino

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, Cupidtino.com — a play on the words Cupid and Cupertino, the city in California where Apple is based — may lead you to iLove when the dating site launches in June. Currently available in beta, Cupidtino.com is described as “a beautiful new dating site created for fans of Apple products by fans of Apple products! Why? Diehard Mac & Apple fans often have a lot in common — personalities, creative professions, a similar sense of style and aesthetics, taste, and of course a love for technology.”

To register for the beta, users must first check off which Apple products they own, from a list that includes iPod, MacBook, iPhone and iPad. Instead of the usual dating site background questions like, “What traits do you look for in an ideal mate?” and “Describe your relationship with your parents,” Cupidtino.com will prompt users to answer questions such as “What’s your ideal iTunes playlist?” or “What’s in your Netflix queue?” Profiles will prominently feature favorite apps — and before uploading their profile pics, users will have to pose with an Apple product or in an Apple store.

If you’re not blinking in disbelief or your PC screen hasn’t turned green with envy yet, read this: Co-founder Mel Sampat says users likely won’t even be able to register for the official service unless they’re using Safari on a Mac or iPhone.

“We’re just trying to create something fun for Apple lovers – we see ourselves as a supplement to, not a substitute for, dating sites like Match.com,” says Mr. Sampat. “It will likely be more casual and our demographic might be a little younger as well.”

“I think, in this case, it’s okay that they’re making it exclusive to Apple fans, because it’s a micro-niche dating site,” says Mark Brooks, an online dating site consultant who has worked for Cupid.com and eHarmony.com “But what’s going to matter the most is not just the numbers they see, it’s how active their user base is.”

He points out that dating sites traditionally experience peak traffic from November to February and see a lull in activity during the summer months, when people are more inclined to be outside and get away from their computers. “In order for Cupidtino.com to become and remain successful, they’ll have to see an initial user base in the thousands, but eventually reach a hundred thousand active users or more.”

Since the beta launched two days ago, 12,000 users have signed up, about 50% of whom live in the Bay Area. Mr. Sampat believes this could create opportunity for local Cupidtino-focused events or even discounts on products in local Apple stores.

Mr. Sampat says he hasn’t determined yet whether Cupidtino.com, which he created along with two other fanboy friends and has received “tens of thousands” of dollars in private funding, will use a subscription model or rely solely on advertising revenue. Part of the reason he wants to market the site as Mac-only, he says, is so the site’s message doesn’t become muddled for both users and advertisers.

The site has already caught the attention of Apple. The San Francisco Business Team of the Apple store in San Francisco sent an email to the Cupidtino.com team explicitly stating that the note was “not an official endorsement”, but offered help with “any technology needs.”

PC users, if you’re intrigued by this site and want in, there’s still hope: Converts are welcome. Mr. Sampat worked for Microsoft for four years before becoming an Apple fanboy, and he says his girlfriend (pictured in the mockup here) had a Zune when he first met her. “My first gift to her was an iPod; she never turned back,” he says.

“You can get an iPod for a little over $50 these days,” Mr. Brooks says, “so if it’s worth it to you to get in on this dating space, why not just go out and buy one? Small price to pay for love.”